The celebration banquet affair made Li Hongjiang lose a lot of face, but in front of the Tong siblings, his face wasn't worth much.
"I told you long ago not to step on others to elevate yourself, doing so will incite public anger, you're truly an idiot," Tong Meng, having snapped out of Lu Qingqing's astonishing speech, pointed at Li Hongjiang and cursed incessantly.
Despite the fire burning in his heart, Li Hongjiang could only endure, "Miss Tong, Young Master Tong also wanted to earn face for you."
Tong Meng glared hatefully at Tong Hua. She knew too well what wicked ideas this man was hatching. Claiming to earn her face, his aim was to draw animosity towards her.
After the meeting, everyone was fawning over Lu Qingqing, but she, instead, was met with ridicule due to Li Hongjiang's excessive praise.
Tong Hua, seeing his dear sister's displeased gaze, spread his hands in an unapologetic manner, "I didn't expect Lu Qingqing to be so glib."
*Hmph!*
She's even better at putting on an act than me.
Li Hongjiang stood to the side with his head bowed, a glint flashing in his eyes. *Let the two siblings fight. I enjoy watching dogs tear each other apart.*
During lunch break, Lu Qingqing took some time to return to the Special Operations Team. The investigation into the "Blade Wielders" organization was ongoing.
"How is it? Did they talk?"
"Those brats are complete cowards. Before the whip even touched them, they confessed everything."
Li Yang flicked the whip in his hand, regretting not being able to give the other party a few lashes.
Unfortunately, these individuals were merely small fry, and their confessions were superficial.
According to their statements, the organization's second-in-command had recently issued a mission: to search the entire city for a person named Li Yongqiang.
However, upon finding this person, they were not to apprehend him, but rather to strictly monitor those around him. If they discovered a man spending three consecutive days with him, they were to capture that associate. If capturing them proved impossible, they could be executed on the spot.
As for the reason for apprehending that person, these small fry were unaware.
After hearing their confessions, Lu Qingqing's heart grew heavy. It seemed the other party had discovered that the wild man was Feng Si.
"Where did you find Li Yongqiang? And how many people know their hiding place?"
"At the West Street Vegetable Market. To claim credit, we didn't tell anyone else about Li Yongqiang's whereabouts."
Lu Qingqing glanced at Li Yang. Li Yang immediately stated that he had already gone to the West Street Vegetable Market to look for them, but Li Yongqiang had already moved.
Lu Qingqing felt helpless upon hearing this. If Li Yongqiang and his group didn't voluntarily reveal themselves, she couldn't openly search for them.
She didn't want to provide an opportunity for the "mantis to stalk the cicada."
"Why did the 'Blade Wielders' go to Huayan Village?" Lu Qingqing had another question.
However, this time, the two small fry repeatedly shook their heads, claiming complete ignorance. Just then, Lu Qingqing noticed a peculiar expression on one of their faces and pointed at him, "Take him out. He's fair-skinned and tender, looks like he'd be fun."
*Uh...*
Everyone was shocked, and Li Yang's face paled.
"Sister-in-law, isn't that a bit much? The boss isn't back yet."
"If you whine any more, I'll call Yu Yue to come drag him away. You know, Xiao Yueyue loves tender, young studs."
Li Yang surrendered, grabbing the man fiercely, "You're lucky to have caught Sister-in-law's eye!"
As the iron door closed, the Blade Wielders exchanged bewildered glances. Were the Special Operations Team this wild?
The man being dragged away was a mix of fear and excitement. He didn't know if he had stumbled upon good fortune or misfortune.
However, Li Yang soon provided him with the answer using his whip.
"Oh, why are you scaring him?" Lu Qingqing couldn't stand watching Li Yang deliberately pace back and forth with the whip.
"Fair-skinned and tender, I'll turn his skin to mush." Li Yang feigned a strike, making the man yelp in terror.
It was too noisy.
Lu Qingqing picked at her ear, "Stop howling. I have something to ask you. Do you know the purpose of the 'Blade Wielders' going to Huayan Village?"
The man stopped howling and remained silent.
"Don't worry, they won't know you're the informant."
Lu Qingqing had arranged for this private interrogation specifically to allay the man's concerns.
"I don't know much, I just heard from fellow villagers that they were going for a 'showing of presence.'"
A showing of presence?
That aligned with what Lu Qingqing had learned. But why would so many people, the elites of the Blade Wielders, merely go for a showing of presence, stay for ten hours, and then leave?
"Do you think I'm easily fooled? The elite team just showing up? Who were they supporting?" Lu Qingqing decided to try and trick him again.
"I'm not lying to you. They really just went to show their presence, I just don't know what kind of task it was by duration."
"By duration?"
"Yes. We have strict regulations. Two hours is a monetary task, five hours is a blood mission, and ten hours is..."
"What is it?" Seeing the man hesitate, Lu Qingqing sternly demanded.
"It's a life!"
*Boom...*
Lu Qingqing's head pounded. She hadn't expected the duration mentioned by the other party to be related to the mission's level.
She had almost been deceived by that kid!
Staying for ten hours?
That meant taking a life!
But wasn't Liu Li killed by Wang Yanlin? Could Hu Jia's judgment be wrong? But if Wang Yanlin didn't kill anyone, why did he run?
No, Luo Wenwu said that group of 'Blade Wielders' took no action, meaning they didn't kill anyone.
If that's the case, who was the original target of the 'Blade Wielders'?
Question after question arose, tormenting Lu Qingqing and keeping her awake.
She glanced at the time; it was almost midnight. Lu Qingqing thought she might need to find time to speak with Hu Jia to avoid missing crucial information.
Just as Lu Qingqing began to feel drowsy, she seemed to hear an unusual sound outside the window. The sound was faint, like a small animal passing by.
But as sleepiness deepened, the sound reappeared.
Lu Qingqing jolted awake. Someone was there!
With a roll, Lu Qingqing fully utilized her agility. She casually picked up a cup from the table and slowly approached the bedside.
*Knock, knock, knock...*
This time it was clear; someone was knocking on the window. However, they were knocking on the adjacent one.
That person was climbing onto the balcony and knocking on Hu Jia's window.
Lu Qingqing retreated, entered the house to get a dagger, and tiptoed into Hu Jia's room.
She didn't know who the person was, but judging by the act of knocking on the window, they likely weren't an enemy. But who else was around Hu Jia that she hadn't met?
Someone who needed to quietly knock on the door at night?
A name flashed into Lu Qingqing's mind: Feng Si!
Indeed, Lu Qingqing abruptly pulled back the curtains. Standing outside the glass was Li Yongqiang.
Lu Qingqing looked at the two outside the window with a smile. The two, in turn, stared at Lu Qingqing with surprise.
"Come in." Lu Qingqing pushed open the window.
Li Yongqiang wanted to enter, but Feng Si hesitated a little. Lu Qingqing found it amusing, "What? I'm here, and you still doubt me?"
Li Yongqiang nudged Feng Si, "Qingqing, you know he's always been cautious."
Ever since Lu Qingqing learned that Feng Si was the wild man, she understood his caution. This was a caution and wariness Feng Si had bought with ten years of his life. Constantly wandering and evading, he no longer dared to trust any stranger. Even towards Li Yongqiang, he might not have one hundred percent trust.
Thinking of this, Lu Qingqing's previous reservations vanished. *He's also a pitiable person.*
"I am Hu Jia's fiancée. I've met you," Lu Qingqing added upon seeing Feng Si's surprised gaze, "in the mountains."